Good online banking

Any such 'efficiency' (goodness, you'd have to wait an extra second to click on an attachment) must be outweighed by a factor of several thousand by the effect of viruses. Even one virus would outdo any supposed good of not having to check what an attachment is.

"Tumbleweed" wrote

You're assuming that the computers aren't protected by advanced anti-virus systems. I wouldn't use a computer system that wasn't fully protected, with "auto-protect"-type systems, which were fully up-to-date. Do you??

In message , Tim wrote

New viruses get established _before_ the AV software houses find a solution to the problem. You cannot 'fully protect' a system by just running an up-to-date virus checker and if you really believe that it can be you are more likely to get caught out someday. Having your software configured not to open attachments automatically gives someone the (extra) chance to question the possible content.

One of my ISPs has a server side virus filter for email which they claim to update every hour. It hasn't stopped the occasional dodgy emails getting through which was later found to contain an attachment with a virus.

Bitstring , from the wonderful person Tim said

You are confused about what an AV system does: It basically checks attachments for matching items which have ALREADY been discovered to be a virus. The usual way of discovering it is that some idiot (or automatic software) has already run it (normally lots of people have). Automatically running an unknown attachment is damn stupid .. don't believe me, Google for 'safe hex' and see what general opinion is on the matter.

Yes, and we haven't had any viruses in the last several years (or ever). My experience of virus checking/protection programs is that they cause more problems than they prevent.

"GSV Three Minds in a Can" wrote

You're obviously "confused about what a **GOOD** AV system does" !

Good ones not only look out for *known* virii, they also look out for "virus-like" activity - which will often catch those that haven't actually even been noticed yet, before the virus signatures are available.

No I don't, and neither do you, because there is no such thing as a computer systen that is fully protected unless its not connected to a network. As others have pointed out, AV systems scan for known viruses (and some also scan for known vunerabilities). There are, to the best of my knowledge, no AV systems that scan for unknown viruses and unknown vunerabilities*. FWIW a virus that exploits a new vunerability takes only about 15 minutes to infect all the (switched on/connected) computers it will ever affect, worldwide. As you might imagine, this is somewhat faster than an AV vendor can react, and certainly quicker than you can update your system.

Bitstring , from the wonderful person Tim said

Been there, tried that .. you either get 90% false positives, or else some virus manages to do something different which is not being monitored. Tell you what, you plod on your way, and the rest of us will do it my way - just don't come crying to alt.com.anti-virus when it goes pear shaped for you.

"Tumbleweed" wrote

Your knowledge is incomplete, then.

Well of course it is, I wouldn't claim otherwise, and I wouldnt presume you would either? Especially as you claimed earlier that you believe there is such a thing as a "fully protected computer system". BTW, remember the big hoo ha last week about the XP SP2 update? Seems there are still a couple of vunerabilities in it....known vunerabilities of course, plenty more to be discovered.. BTW, I note your copy of outlook express isnt up to date, its older than mine!!

"Tumbleweed" wrote

:-) If it ain't broke ... :-)

Bitstring , from the wonderful person Tim said

All copies of Outhouse Express are broke. They were born broke. there's the

begin problem for a start

In message , GSV Three Minds in a Can wrote

What

begin problem is that :)

But from a security POV, all computer systems are broke :-)

"GSV Three Minds in a Can" wrote

That's not "broke" - that's "design". If you don't like the way a product is designed, you don't have to buy it - but it doesn't make it "broke"!!

"Tumbleweed" wrote

The one I have sitting in the corner (which hasn't been switched-on in years), *isn't* ! :-)

Actually, I'd go further - unless in never exchanges information with another computer (I still remember when floppy disks were the main way viruses were exchanged).

Thom